A slow stream of blood trickled down the corner of Yugi's pale chin as the boy groaned softly. He huddled against the cool wall of whatever place he had been roughly dumped into, trying to retain what little warmth he could. There was no real way to tell where he was anymore, not that he had been sure of his location in the first place. Exhausted as he was, Yugi couldn't even bring himself to open his eyes anymore, and even small movements caused his breath to catch in his throat.
Yugi had no idea what was going him. All he knew was that for the first time in week he had been removed from that harsh metal table, hands tied behind his back and dragged off somewhere unknown.His new holding area seemed to be an extremely small room, about the size of a small closet. If Yugi were to lean over even slightly in any direction, he would collide with a wall long before he crashed into the floor. Even if there had been room to move, Yugi doubted that he could have; he barely had the energy to hold himself up anymore.
There was no light shining through the thin layer of skin that covered Yugi's sensitive eyes; the room was pitch black. The air tasted stale and musty on his tongue, leaving Yugi to wonder how long it would be before he ran out of air to breath. Was that even a possibility? Or was he just being paranoid?
The feeling of claustrophobia slowly washed over Yugi in suffocating waves. He had never been particularly keen on enclosed places, especially after his ordeal as a prisoner of the Leviathan. A harsh shudder ran down Yugi's spine, he could feel a steely know forming in his stomach. Through the pain and fatigue, Yugi attempted to fight off the debilitating sensations, to shove them away from his mind the way Yami had taught him.
Yugi desperately wanted to bring his knees up to his chest, to wrap his arms around himself in some pitiful attempt at comfort. Yet even this was a luxury he didn't have anymore; too weak to create the shift his legs, and arms bound far too tight to move, Yugi found himself unable to shift to a more comfortable position. He tried anyway, struggling with what energy he had left in order to try and move, but he soon slumped sideways, too fatigued to continue. He momentarily considered trying to sit back up, to show some dignity when the wizards inevitably came back for him, but dismissed the idea. The cool surface of the smooth wall felt pleasant against Yugi's burning skin, and he relished in the soothing sensation. Yugi pressed himself into the corner, allowing his thin, worn body to fill that small space.
Distantly, Yugi realized that he could hear loud voices and footsteps somewhere near his room. pounding footsteps going past. They didn't seem to have anything to do with him at the moment however, so he returned to ignoring them. As his mind slowly started to leave his aching body, Yugi's shaky thoughts began wandering in a slightly different direction: something in Minister's plans had changed. Something was throwing the man completely out of whack, hindering his ability to interrogate Yugi. Even through the disabling collar strapped around his throat, Yugi could feel the waves of frustration, impatience, anger, and recently fear, all coming from the leader of his captors.
Yugi realized he could also feel the faint presence of someone new nearby. Were they responsible for the wizards; frantic behaviour? Yugi began to wonder who they were, this person who was able to put minister in such and emotional frenzy. Perhaps the Minister didn't want this new person to know about their prisoner. Of course that only raised more questions.
At first Yugi let himself be a little hopeful about this new development. Maybe it was his friends coming to the rescue, the shattered Millennium puzzle in hand. Maybe this ordeal would end like others had in the past, with Yugi and his friends facing triumphing over evil together.
Eventually he sobered as he remembered the great lengths he had taken to to make sure none of his friends would be able to find him. He couldn't let them come, not when Minister would do anything to get a hold of them. Their safety meant more to Yugi than his own well-being, so much so, that he had been the force that had separated himself from his family and friends in the first place. Despite his conviction though, he still couldn't escape from the looks on their faces when he was taken, especially the look of his own dark half—the anguished look on his face had hurt Yugi's very being.
Unwanted tears began streaming down Yugi's face, unhindered by his closed eyes. He could still hear Yami's half-crazed shouts and see the frantic look in his crimson eyes. The way he had clawed against Bakura's restraining arms, drawing rivers of blood from the tomb robbers skin—
Yugi forced himself to stop and clear his mind. He needed to dwelling on his memories before they drove him insane. He began casting about for a new topic of thought and, after a brief pause, found one: when on earth had Ryou, Malik and Bakura come to be considered a part of his family? Or even his friends? Two out of the three had tried to kill him, both coming uncomfortably close to succeeding.
And yet somehow, things had changed between them. Of course, many things had changed after the ceremonial duel.
For one thing, they had all come to more fully understand what it meant to be a bearer of one of the Millennium items and just how closely they where interconnected, in a way that none of them had before.
His friends were great of course. Jounouchi, Anzu and Honda were family in his eyes, and they followed him through to the very end. Even for those exceedingly dangerous "save the world from yet another vengeance/world domination plot" that no friend should ever have to deal with, they stuck it through.
But with the others it was...different. When the desire for something lost became unbearable it was obvious something had changed, and when the Darks returned, and both Malik and Ryou had shown up on the Kame Game Shop door step, Yugi came to realize how much he had begun to crave the company of someone who understood what he was going through. What it was like to have an item, or to have split your mind with another thinking entity that was still, in essence, you.
Yugi ran his tongue over his dry and cracked lips, tasting the salty tang of the blood there. His throat was burning again, and the motion only brought his aches and pains back into the forefront of his mind.
As Yugi sat there in his cramped, dark room, he decided to use his brief moment of peace to try and regain some of what he had lost. Whatever had thrown Minister's plans so out of the loop had, for the time being, halted his plans to finally break through Yugi's defences, something that had scared Yugi more than anything else these Wizards had done to him before.
Now, under whose graces Yugi did not know, he had time to rebuild his shields, to restore the cracks in his soul room door and maybe keep Minister out for another day. It wouldn't do him any good of course—he was just running on borrowed time—but at least he would go down fighting. With that final thought, Yugi let his consciousness float gently down to his soul room, all the while fighting through the pain of the foreign hunk of metal around his neck.
And as he sunk down into the depths of his, Yugi didn't hear the door bang open.
/
"Molly, I want you and Arthur to return home tonight." Albus said as he, Minerva, Molly and Arthur walked away from the Hogwarts castle towards the edge of the school grounds and, by nature, the wards that prevented apparition to and from the school.
Molly nodded in agreement as she shifted the arm she had around her half-dozing husband, trying to get him awake enough to hear the conversation. Once they had removed the puzzle piece from Arthur's possession, the man had started to fall asleep almost immediately. "Are you sure that you don't want us to come?" Arthur asked, his voice slow and quiet. "I mean, I know I'm tired and all. But I know where everything is in that place. It would be easier"
"Yes, it would most likely be easier, but it would also be more difficult. You would lose your job in a heartbeat if Cornelius realized that you had told me about his actions. No, I think that it would be best if you went home, took out your best night cap and slept in until noon tomorrow."
Arthur meant to open his mouth again, but stopped when Molly elbowed him in the ribs. "Of course Albus, don't worry. I'll make sure that he doesn't get out of bed for the next little while."
Albus nodded his head, tilting his hat to the motherly witch and flashing her a toothy smile. "I bid you good luck then Molly, and make sure that you get some sleep also. Now go home."
Tightening her grip on Arthur's waist, Molly said goodbye to Minerva and Albus before turning on her heel, and disappearing with a loud snap, leaving only empty air in the place that the Weasley's had previously occupied. The only indication that they had even been there in the first place was the grass that had been pressed down beneath the heavy tread of their shoes.
Reaching into his breast pocket, Albus removed an engraved gold pocket watch attached to a delicate chain. Planets revolved around the edge in their own pattern as Albus stared at the surface. The markings on its face would have been indecipherable to any muggle (and most wizards) and any who did happen to look upon it would undoubtedly be left wondering just what kind of nut case created it in the first place. Nevertheless, Albus seemed to be understand it perfectly be after a few seconds he snapped it shut and returned it to his pocket.
Minerva glanced at him. "I am coming, Albus. You tend to be far too nice when it comes to Fudge, when most of the time all he needs is a good smack on the head." A low chuckle filled the night air.
"Maybe you're right my dear, but in any case, I think I will leave the smacking to you." Albus said, nodding knowledgeably. "But I do believe that it is time for us to go. If we want to be back in time for breakfast, that is."
Before Minerva could get another response in, Albus gripped the edges of the long purple cloak he had thrown on before leaving, turned on his heel and disappeared with the usual loud crack! that made disapparating such a nuisance.
Barely a breath passed before Minerva did the same, concentrating on her magic like she would with a wand and turning on the spot. Suddenly she lurched forward and the world started to crush down upon her body, squeezing her into the odd subspace that disapparating used. It was a smothering pressure, pounding in her skull and squeezing her lungs like a vice.
Just when she felt she could last no longer, Minerva found herself standing in the middle of the main entrance of the Ministry of Magic. Water rushed down from the huge fountain in the middle of the room, echoing around in the empty area. They were completely alone, as most people had gone home for the night.
Dumbledore was already walking down the halls, his boots clanking loudly on the metal floor as he went. Minerva moved to follow, staying a few steps behind. The security desk in the back was empty; obviously the Ministry had no problems with after hour visitors.
Fudge should be in his office, according to what Arthur had said before we left the Hogwarts grounds. I doubt he's left his office at all in the last couple of weeks. We were all wondering why, but I guess the reason is obvious now.
This meeting was not going to be a long one. Minerva knew that she did not have the patience to deal with the Minister, not after what she had seen. Right now, only years of dealing with school-aged teenagers was keeping her in control of her emotions. Even so, it was hard to keep her anger from showing on her face.
Cornelius was sitting at his desk when Dumbledore and Minerva entered. There were large bags clearly visible under his eyes as he sat at his desk, pouring over a large scroll. A quill was grasped roughly in his hand, twitching slightly as it was brought down to scrawl his signature at the bottom of the parchment.
Dumbledore knocked on the surface of Cornelius's open door. Fudge jumped up at the sound, nearly knocking over a large mug of tea that was standing by the tower of papers beside his hand.
"Dumbledore!" Cornelius gasped, standing up in surprise.
"Evening Cornelius." Albus said conversationally, pulling up one of the chairs in front of Fudge's desk. It was obvious that Albus wanted to keep this conversation light in order to gently urge Cornelius into revealing what was going on within the bowels of the Ministry. Minerva bit her tongue to suppress her own desire in how this should be handled. Albus knew what he was doing. "So sorry about visiting you so late at night, but a little bird told me that you would be up, and I was having non a luck at sleeping. So I decided to come visiting."
Sitting back down unto his chair, Cornelius pushed aside the papers on his desk so he could better look at his guests. "Yes, yes, of course. I completely understand. Although I have to say that my lack of sleep comes from all this work that keeps piling up. I swear on Merlin's beard that there will never be enough time in the day."
Albus smiled, but there was little humour left in his blue eyes. Minerva blinked nervously, wondering what Albus was about to do.
"There have been some rather... interesting rumours going around lately, Cornelius." Dumbledore began softly, his voice low and hushed. Cornelius paled slightly, but kept his composure. Minerva could see the man's fingers twitch towards the hat sitting on the hook beside his desk. "Rumours that you have made an addition on to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.
"Yes. The United Protection Office. It was supposed to be under wraps until the press conference tomorrow. Although, I suppose no attempt at secrecy would stop you from finding out about this, would it?"
The corners of Albus' face lifted up in a smile, but it didn't last long. "No, I suppose not. I have many connections, and many of them are not even aware that they are one of them. However this is a serious matter. I need to know what is going on within the Ministry of Magic. It would not be wise to keep me in the dark, Minister."
Cornelius shrank back slightly, fingers twitching slightly on the table. They reached for his hat, before changing direction at the last second to grab his quill, and the next sheet of paper from his pile.
"There isn't much to know, Albus. It's a new department, they haven't seen any action, and I doubt they will for a couple months yet." Fudge said smoothly, scribbling down on the piece of parchment before pulling another down to his level. "Now, if you will excuse me, my work load is not getting any smaller, and I sincerely doubt I will make a good host with my nose buried under this mountain."
"Do not avoid my question Minister. You and I both know that there is more to it than that. Now I will ask again: what are you up to?"
Albus' blue eyes steeled, staring deep into Cornelius's face. The Minister held his gaze for a few minutes before shivering, and grabbing onto the next piece of parchment. Albus' hand reached out, preventing the Minister of Magic from pulling the next piece down.
"Cornelius, I am waiting."
With a sigh, Cornelius placed his quill back on the desk and pulled away from the wooden surface. Looking troubled, he stood. "Alright Albus. Let's go see the United Protection Office, and you can tell me just who on my team is your oblivious spy." Cornelius said, grabbing his bowler hat and placing it on his head.
Nodding in agreement, Albus walked from the office, with Fudge taking the lead and Minerva at his heels. As a group they walked down the eerily silent hallway past the different departments and doors until they reached the end of the hall, something easily recognized as the Auror Offices, with an extra door in addition.
Without waiting for permission, Albus walked through the new door without so much as pausing to look at what would have been under any other circumstances beautiful, design of the United Protection. Minerva followed a few steps behind, but unlike her headmaster, her head swivelled back and forth as she tried to absorb the sight. But, aside from the unusually lavish design, nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary.
The Minister remained silent as they walked, despite clearly looking like he wanted to speak. Cornelius was a proud man and loved to show off when he could. It was lucky really, Minerva supposed, since that pride was one of the factors that had brought him to office in the first place. But for whatever reason, he was dead silent now.
At the end of the hall was a large laboratory, empty but for a large metal table. The table was immaculately clean, but marred by brutal scars and dents. The only thing that could leave marks like that, Minerva summarized grimly, would be spell shocks.
"Well that's the end of it." Cornelius said, spreading his arms wide, to add sharp relief to the very solid brick wall that stood behind him. There was nothing else; apparently their mission had been a failure. Cornelius must have already hidden the child elsewhere, presumably after Arthur had left. He must have known that Arthur would go straight to Dumbledore once he found out about their prisoner.
Fudge could not have had the time however, to get his captive very far. Not unless he had used apparition to transport the unfortunate child from here into someone else's hands. Luckily, that didn't seem like something Cornelius would do. The Minister would not allow his precious prisoner to escape that easily; he would want to keep the child on hand, within grasp. As a prize, if nothing else.
"Where...?" Her question was low and quiet. Slowly Minerva's eyes searched Albus' face, directing her question through that more than just her voice.
It was, however, her voice that Cornelius heard. "Where what?" he asked, his tone sickeningly polite. It was the sort of voice a person uses when politeness is only seen as an obligation, nothing more. "Do you think that we're missing something down here? Unfortunately, most of these plans were drawn up in a bit of a rush, so it is a possibility."
There he goes again, Minerva thought, looking at Cornelius through the corner of her eyes. Cornelius knows that we aren't going to find him... Now what?
Albus was not paying attention to any of this, however. Instead, he was staring at the brick wall in front of him. The elderly man's head was tilted to one side, a quizzical expression on his face. "Now what do we have here?" Albus asked, before pulling out his wand from the depths of his pocket, and tapping it against the wall.
The wall lurched and shuttered against the force of Albus' magic, before an opening formed, starting above the headmaster's head and rushing downwards to form a door.
/
At first it was easy to ignore the sound of footsteps and raised voices that echoed outside in the hall. No matter how angry they must have sounded, only the most muffled of echoes could be heard through the heavy walls of the room Yugi was in and they were certainly not enough to wake the teen from his well needed rest. So deeply unconscious was he that he didn't even react to the sound of brick and metal slamming harshly against the walls of his cell.
In the end it was the bright light filling the previously dark room that awoke Yugi. It startled him so much in fact, that for the first time in hours, Yugi's eyes snapped open. The rush of adrenaline following his sudden awakening was just enough to keep them open, even though the harsh light burned his sensitive eyes. Through bleary eyes, Yugi could just make out splotches of colour that filled his vision. Reds, blues, greens and blacks covered most of what little Yugi could see, leaving it so he could only make out vague blotches and a whole lot of white.
Eventually however, Yugi's eyes adjusted to the bright light, and slowly he was able to make out the forms of two or three people who were standing in the narrow doorway. Yugi's eyes narrowed even more then they had previously from the light, his heart sinking. It was the Minister, and he looked extremely angry about something. His face was a vivid shade of red, eyes bloodshot, and lips quivering as if he was holding back the urge to yell.
The woman beside him looked no better. Her entire body was shaking, and her dark eyes looked colder than ice. Yugi shuddered slightly at the look, sensing the revulsion and poorly concealed hatred that was held in those depths. Her fists were clenching and un-clenching rapidly as she stared at Yugi. He braced himself, waiting for a slap, an attack—another bruise to add to his already impressive collection.
But she only stared at him, unmoving.
Why had Minister brought this woman? What was she here to do?
"Minster! Are you insane!" The woman's shrill voice cut through the tense silence, quickly shattering Yugi's focus. Tilting his head up in surprise, Yugi could only watch in amazement as that look of hatred shifted into remorse and horror. "What in Merlin's name gives you the right to treat anyone like this?" she all but yelled, glaring at minister with a force that Yugi had not been expecting. It seemed as if the hatred had not been directed to himself, as Yugi had suspected... but at Minister?
What was going on?
"It's a dangerous creature, Professor . I cannot in good conscious allow it to remain out on the streets." Fudge hissed his voice taking on a low, venomous tone similar to the one Yami's did when he was angry. Despite the resemblance however, Yugi noticed in grim satisfaction that the tone was no where near as intimidating as that of his dark half. The minister looked more flustered than dangerous at the moment. His apparent nervous habit of playing with his bowler hat wasn't helping either. Some people just weren't born to lead, he supposed. It was unfortunate that it was one of those people that these wizards had chosen to follow. Or at least, some wizards.
"A creature! He's a human being, Minster! You can't treat him like this!" Minerva said, her voice rising to such a level that it could officially be considered a yell. In her anger, Minerva reached out to find something to ground herself, to control her dangerously raging emotions. Her shaking hand touched, in what was surely meant to be a comforting gesture, Yugi's shoulder. Yet, with a mix of shock and fear, Yugi jerked back from the contact, pressing himself even further back into the corner. "Look at the child. He's scared out of his mind!"
"Or faking it!" Fudge yelled back, his face an impressive shade of red. "We are not releasing this thing until we have deemed that it is safe to do so." He growled "That… it...is dangerous! And what if there are more? We have to get rid of these monstrosities, and this one is a single session away from being the link that leads us to the rest of them."
.
"No!" Minerva growled out from between clenched teeth, moving to stand directly in front of Yugi, glaring at the Minister for Magic head on. Without a second thought, she had placed her body in front of Yugi's own, something that Yugi was far too familiar with. She was protecting him, using her own body as a shield, the same way Yami would have."I refuse to let this child become some object for your examination Minister. He has rights, and has done nothing wrong."
Cornelius snorted. "Nothing wrong?" he asked darkly "You have not seen the devastation this boy has caused. You weren't there when he was brought in."
"I am well aware of what this child is capable of Minister. However, any of us would have fought back, if we were suddenly assaulted. You wouldn't send a person to Azkaban if they killed a Death Eater who was trying to attack them. And that's all you're doing here, except that you're touchy about the fact that it was your people that initiated the situation."
Cornelius's mouth opened and closed a few times as he stared at the woman in front of him. In return Minerva's face was all but frozen solid, waiting for Fudge to speak again. Or perhaps simply to see if he was brave enough to do so.
It was at that moment that Albus took the opportunity to finally join in on their conversation. "Cornelius, as much as I do see your point, Minerva is quite correct. You do not have the right to apprehend or detain a non-wizard, especially one that is not from your own country." Albus said calmly, ever the voice of reason in their heated exchange.
"So you want me to just release him? I already said that I cannot" Fudge replied. Before he could continue however, Albus held up his hand, quieting Cornelius immediately. "Then I propose a compromise: hand the boy over to me. He would be under my direct supervision and Hogwarts is far away from any and major muggle or wizard sites, so all parties can be kept safe and healthy."
It was obvious that Fudge was not keen on the idea, and if he had been speaking to any other wizard in the world, he would have continued his fight to keep hold of his captive. But he had known Albus Dumbledore long enough to know that arguing with the elderly wizard would be a waste of his time.
The only thing Fudge could do now was cut his losses, and get one last hit in before the final bell.
"Alright Dumbledore, I'll agree to your terms, on one condition: the conductor stays here."
"No!" Yugi's voice called from the back of the room, with more force then it had had for a long time. His eyes grew wide, and he tried to stand on his feet. Even with his new, frantic energy, he wobbled perilously, eventually leaning over against the wall for support.
Everyone's head whipped around at the voice as if just remembering that the adolescent was even there. Fudge paled, the colour leaving his face in a dramatic rush, when he saw his carefully contained prisoner on it's feet. Subconsciously, the Minister of Magic took a step back, away from the puzzle bearer, even as Minerva took a step forward, ready to help steady the teen.
Yugi's fingers clenched beneath the bonds around his wrists. He felt angry, scared. He didn't want to be here, he wanted to be home, but most importantly, he wanted the puzzle. The emotions that Yugi had diligently kept in check to protect those around him, the ones he ignored in place of light hearted smiles, the ones he cut off to maintain his role of a hikari, surged inside him like liquid magma, impossible to contain, or hold back. They rushed through his body to his very core, searching for an outlet.
He wanted the puzzle.
Outlet found.
Oblivious to the change in Yugi, Minerva reached out to put her hand on hiss shoulder, to help the teen stand up. Yet as soon as her hand made contact, it leapt away as if shocked. Minerva cradled her hand to her chest; it felt as if it had just been burnt.
Cornelius looked to be about one step away from bolting out of the room. The only thing that was keeping him grounded at the moment was the knowledge of how much face he would lose if he ran. As the creature approached him, its eyes shifted from warm amethyst to iridescent silver. The colour seemed to bleed past the iris, covering the rest of the eye in an eerie glow.
The muscles in Yugi's arms flexed and strained, responding to his magic as it coiled under his skin. He was no longer Yugi at that moment; he was too far gone into his magic's desires to remember anything about himself. Personality, memories, morals... all were sucked into a substance more deep than the darkest of black. It was the lightest of whites, the magic of nothing and the unnamed. It was far worse than simple darkness, or of death, for light magic had the power to erase a very being from existence, leaving no trace. There would be no hope of even an afterlife.
If Yugi was to attack anyone of the people here, he would leave them with no chance of reincarnation, of any idea of heaven, or any hell. Nothing. No trace, for their soul would be instantly destroyed. Not shattered, not broken... Destroyed.
And right now, Yugi didn't even have the capacity to care. The puzzle was the only thing that mattered, the only driving desire he had left.
Light that was streaming from Yugi's body now, seeming to form his very essence. It spread across the room, dazzling everyone as the glow reflected unnaturally from the walls. They were all forced to shut their eyes against the burning glare.
Yet that was the least of their problems. The metal bands surrounding Yugi's wrists separated with a loud snap, allowing his arms to swing bonelessly to his sides. Those disturbing eyes flickered down to his arms for a brief second, considering them detachedly, as if they weren't part of his body. No emotion crossed Yugi's face, as it tilted to the side, staring up at the person who had caused him so much harm.
Here was the man who had taken everything from him, his love, his life, the darkness that would have stopped him from ever reaching this point. He needed his yami, and this man, the barely restrained light whispered, was the last barrier separating them.
Yugi took a step forward, light twining around his arms as he slowly walked towards Minister. His face portraying nothing of his intent, but still the Minister stepped back, stumbling over his feet in an attempt to get away.
"I want the puzzle back." Yugi's voice was unlike anything that the wizards had heard before. Completely devoid of emotion, it sent chills down their spine in a way that no amount of anger or hatred ever could. Yugi held out his hand expectantly to Fudge, as if expecting the man to drop what he wanted there. The streams of light danced at his finger tips, reaching out to Minister.
With a shaking hand, Fudge's hand dipped into his pocket. Yugi's eyes followed the motion intently, and nodded when the hand slipped inside. "Give it to me, the puzzle is mine, I want it."
Fudge nodded his head, the movement quick and shaky. He dug deeper into his pocket, grasping for whatever it was he was looking for. Slowly he pulled his hand out, clutching something tightly inside his palm.
"Puzzle."
Yugi all but whispered the word, stepping forward and extending his hand forward. Cornelius moved towards him, holding his own arm out, opening his fist to show what was inside, before tilting his wrist to reveal his wand, pointed directly at Yugi's throat.
At first, nothing happened. Yugi just stood there, hand outstretched, waiting. Yet after a few moments, the muscles in Yugi's face started to twitch and flex, and his arms started to stretch up towards the collar around his neck.
Suddenly, with a hoarse cry of pain, Yugi fell to his knees. Palms flat against the ground as he gasped as the pain threatened to overwhelm him, stretching past what his magic could contend with. Both sensations threatened to overwhelm Yugi for what felt like centuries. The lights that had surrounded
Yugi's skin disappeared slowly, as if being drawn back into the collar. Shuddering, Yugi's knees finally gave out, and he slumped to the ground, before curling up into the fetal position, clutching desperately at the collar as if trying to rip it from his flesh.
Cornelius jerked his wand towards Yugi again, he began screaming. His hands fell away from his neck as his arms grew limp. Soon after, his body started to thrash on the ground as the light dimmed from the eyes, the silver film disappearing to be replaced with dull violet. Then, even that was gone as Yugi's eyes closed.
Wasting no time, Cornelius quickly bound Yugi's arms behind his back with a quick incantation. The boy's arms jerked back in such a way that Minerva could have sworn she heard his shoulders pop. Cornelius took a step back after this, pale and shaking as he stepped away and back towards the wall. A large gasp of air, slipped through his lungs, before looking back to Minerva and Albus expectantly.
Minerva's face was shocked and drawn as she stared, eyes wide at the boy laying prone at her feet. She felt paralyzed at that moment, too nauseous to even move. Her eyes flicked from the boy, to Fudge and then back again. Minerva felt her mouth open and snap shut, anything she could say catching in her throat. "Oh, my god" she finally managed to force out. The muggle saying seemed to be the only thing that appropriate at the moment.
For that moment, all she could do was stand there, unable to voice anything that she was thinking. There was no word to describe it. No glare could give any justice to her feelings to Cornelius right now. And no amount of time could allow her to understand what that child had just done.
The expression on Cornelius's face grew smug, feeling that that demonstration had proved his point. Maybe it had. "That thing is far too dangerous be on his own. I am willing to agree to let you take him from Ministry headquarters only because I trust you Albus. But I am not going to give it something to amplify its power. I am not an idiot."
"I'm not sure I agree with your theory Minister." Albus said softly, his expression quizzical. Both Cornelius and Minerva turned to look at him, obviously curious about what the aged wizard had to say. "Desperation can amplify power in ways impossible to measure. I doubt under any other circumstances this boy would have used so much of his magic, conductor or not."
Cornelius face paled visibly. Now it was Minerva's turn to smirk as she gracefully draped her cloak over Yugi's thin shoulders. "So we are going to go and get this Puzzle?" she asked calmly, causing Cornelius to glare at her.
"I would recommend it." Albus said with a light nod. It was at this point Cornelius realized that it was game over. "Fine then. You win Albus, although conductor is currently in pieces and no one has been able to piece back together. Not even Arthur Weasley, our Muggle expert. And he was our best hope. I don't think that boy could put it back together anytime soon" He said in such a tone that Minerva wasn't sure if he was trying to reassure himself or them. "I do hope however that if I was to pass custody of this teen off to you that every precaution will be taken?"
"Of course Cornelius, that won't be a problem." Albus said, causing Minerva to smile in triumph.
Walking out, Cornelius left the cell to enter the lab where the puzzle was currently located. Minerva crouched down to the boy quickly undoing the spell that was trapping his wrists. Than slowly she lifted the boy up. His body was a dead weight, one arm dangled limply towards the ground. Looking over his shoulder, Albus gently placed the arm on his chest, and pulled Minerva's cloak over his shoulder.
"Do you want me to carry him Minerva?" Albus asked, as Minerva shifted the teen's weight in her arm. Looking down at the head that now rested lightly against her shoulder, Minerva shook her head. Malnourished as he was, he was feather light in her arms. His weight wasn't a burden.